[FoghornsandFlannel]

What do you look for in a therapist? I've never seen a therapist and I don't know where to begin my search to find the right fit for me.

[amandalouise]

Originally Posted by FoghornsandFlannel

What do you look for in a therapist? I've never seen a therapist and I don't know where to begin my search to find the right fit for me.

first thing to finding a therapist is knowing why you want to be in therapy.

people go to therapy because they have problems they want to work on that they cant work on alone....

example

I am seeing my therapist for work stress. we talk about ways I can cut down on the stress in my life, things I can do during stressful times.

another time i went to my therapist because I was having problems with panic attacks. i talked with my therapist about my panic attacks and we came up with some things that i can do to help myself during my panic attacks.

ok after you know why you want to be in therapy and what you want to do in therapy you call mental health places in your area and ask them if they work with the problems you want to work on. and you ask them if they take your insurance plan (its federal law now that all americans have health insurance including mental health care, yes you can pay cash out of your own money if you want to but therapy runs usually about 100 or so bucks per appointment so I prefer to use my insurance plan)

then when you find a mental health agency that works with the problems you want to work on, you set up an appointment with them. they will have you fill in some papers during your first appointment.

and then after intake you will be assigned a therapist or psychiatrist depending upon what your problem is that you want to work on, and which one of the therapists or psychiatrist works with that problem.

then you just go to your appointments and work on the problem you wanted to work on and be in therapy for.

if you are going to use your insurance plan you will need to call your insurance company to see who they work with. sometimes they will tell you to see your primary care physician and then the PCP "refers" you to a mental health treatment provider that works with your insurance and problem.

Decide what type of therapy you would like to do. I myself do DBT therapy. Then find out which practices offer that therapy. You can usually read bio's of potential therapists online. In the end though I think you have to meet them in person and see what vibe you get. Mine is funny and completely non judgmental. I can tell her literally anything and I like that.

[Skeezyks]

Here are links to a bunch of articles, from PsychCentral's archives, on the subject of how to find a good therapist as well as information related to the first therapy session:

How to Choose a Therapist and Other Questions about Psychotherapy

How Do You Find a Good Therapist? An Interview with Dr. John Grohol

10 Ways to Find a Good Therapist

How to Find a Good Therapist

Key Questions to Ask When Choosing a Therapist

https://psychcentral.com/blog/more-o...first-contact/

https://psychcentral.com/lib/your-fi...dium=popular17

https://psychcentral.com/blog/3-tips...dium=popular17

https://psychcentral.com/blog/10-int...dium=popular17

https://psychcentral.com/blog/6-ques...dium=popular17

Also, family therapist, Kati Morton, has videos on her YouTube channel on the subject of getting started in therapy. Here's a link to the listing:

https://www.youtube.com/results?sear...st+appointment

[stopdog]

I went on the psych today website, looked formtherapists who were female, older than I am, not perky looking, no cbt

[FoghornsandFlannel]

Thanks for the feedback